Sorrow's Gift

Chapter Thirty-Six: The Witch

She couldn't hide her smile. She'd overheard the conversation between Noah and Parrish in the dark. Before she'd come into their lives, they'd been well on their way to remembering their past. One kiss would have likely brought their memories rushing back like a tidal wave crashing over them.

In one day, she'd managed to plant that small seed of doubt that would keep them apart and guessing for a while. She was proud of herself. It had been ridiculously easy, and that was just the beginning of her plans to disrupt their relationships and trust.

The others were waiting on the floor of the living room and the witch switched off her flashlight. "Found them," she said.

"Good," Crash said. "Ooh, you guys found candy?"

Parrish spread the candy out on the blankets, stashing the bag of suckers in her backpack. "There was some other food in the kitchen, too," she said. "I put it in bags and set it all on the counters. We can load it up tomorrow."

"Great," Crash said.

"I told them you wanted to talk about the plan," the witch said. She was anxious to hear what he had in store, too. As soon as she knew where there were planning to go, she could let the Dark One know exactly where to find them.

"I didn't want to say anything earlier, because I just wasn't sure I'd be able to get in touch with him with the current state of things," he said. "But I have this friend from a smaller town outside Philly who told me he'd managed to set up a camp in a National Guard Armory there. He was enlisted and went there to help out when things started to get rough. He saved as many as he could and fortified the whole place before it got too bad."

"A safe zone?" Karmen asked.

The witch watched as hope spread across their faces. They honestly still believed there might be such a thing as a safe place left in the world. They obviously had no idea who they were dealing with.

"Kind of," he said. "Not a government place, officially, but he told me they have a lot of weapons and food and water. I hadn't heard from him in a few days, but earlier I got a message from him that they're still doing okay. He said we're welcome to join them if we want."

"But?" Noah asked.

"The only condition is that we help them out when asked," Crash said. "He said that everyone has a job and they pitch in when they're asked to do special assignments like go on supply runs or things like that."

"Sounds reasonable," Parrish said.

"So we're all in?" Crash asked. "I don't want to take us there if the whole group isn't comfortable with it. I want to make sure we're all on the same page."

The witch considered her options. It was obvious the group wanted to find a safe place to live instead of wandering around in the world. Depending on the security around this place, it might be very difficult for her to plan any attacks that would put the group in danger.

On the other hand, though, letting them feel safe for a while might be a good idea. She would be able to work on her plan to get closer to them and cause them to start doubting each other.

They were also less likely to use their powers when they were with a large group like that. The less they connected with that part of themselves, the better. All she had to do was stall them for a while, just long enough for the Dark One's power to grow. If they were inside a safe zone, they wouldn't stumble on the true fifth accidentally, and they wouldn't go looking for him. Once there, they wouldn't want to leave and risk the kinds of attacks they might find out on the open road.

When Crash had made it around the circle and finally asked for her vote, she nodded in agreement, deciding that above all else, the Dark One needed time. Let them think they were safe and normal, no different from the rest of the humans struggling to survive. Let them think their group was complete and that there was no rush to find anyone else.